Lots of good suggestions on church safety and security!

I second the suggestion here that building and safety committees need to have at least one mom on them. My church's elders mean well and they do love the kids, but they don't always think of how some decisions would impact a small person; moms seem to be wired to have their children's well-being and needs in mind.

Regarding the Church Safety suggestions: it is sad we have to have these hard conversations, but it is becoming more and more apparent that even small churches in small communities need to be aware and prepared.   Check with your local and state police for workshops and resources  and consultations on good active shooter policies, and keep updating your policies to take into account new standards (our child protection policy said to lock the door and stay in the classroom, but current best practices say it is best to leave the room and get out of the building if at all possible).

In addition to background checks, my church requires all who work with children (including pastors and staff) to take the Ministry Safe course. Sexual Abuse Awareness Training isn't fun, but it is important information about how to watch for signs of abuse and how to help and protect the children who have been trusted to us (and is easy for everyone to do online on their own schedule).

And I would add to Neil's list of "more likely" security and safety issues in churches:

• "attractive nuisances" such as stacks of chairs that children will want to climb on. Because no matter how hard you try, there will be unsupervised children somewhere in the church after worship....
• policy for who can use the playground and when - especially if you have equipment designed for small children and big kids trying to climb on it.